Nightmare in Arkham: Chapter 1 The Re-Awakening
by Speilberg
Summary: In an attempt to harness a power the will enable him to control people's nightmares, Scarecrow re-awakens the sadistic dream-demon Freddy Krueger who now has his sites on the "freaks" of Gotham
1. Chapter 1

_Nightmare in Arkham_

CHAPTER 1: "The Re-Awakening"

-"I've finally done it!" the Scarecrow cried with a victorious laugh holding a vile filled with dark-red fluid high in the air with his right hand, "Now I will no longer be known as the Master of Fear but as the God of Nightmares!"

From an early age Jonathan Crane, or Scarecrow as he is now known, carried a deep obsession with fear and phobias. He loved scarring people, seeing what made them tick, making his enemies cower at his feet. Unfortunately, this obsession would inevitably lead to his descent into insanity after the university he taught at dismissed him after his experiments on students and staff were taken to the extreme and became increasingly more dangerous. Humiliated, Jonathan swore revenge on society. He began experimenting with chemicals and toxins that would allow him to manipulate people's worst fears and he soon became the boogeyman of Gotham known as the Scarecrow. However, despite his countless attempts to bring Gotham City to it's knees in sheer terror there was always one man who he could never break: Batman. The Dark Knight thrived on the fear of his enemies, much like Scarecrow. Except he used intimidation tactics to protect Gotham from what the city labeled as "freaks" and "outcasts". Unfortunately, this included the poor Dr. Crane whose plans Batman would always thwart again and again, throwing him inside of that God forsaken Hell hole known as Arkham Asylum, the sees pool of all of the miserable, twisted garbage that society got sick of looking at.

Well this time would be different because now the Scarecrow held in his hand a new fear toxin that he believed would make him invincible.

Three weeks ago while Jonathan was doing his time inside of his cold cell at Arkham after Batman had ruined his chance at taking the city yet again he passed his time peering through articles and books that talked about, what else, fear. But as he was browsing, one article caught his eye, one that dated back 30 years ago in a town far from Gotham called "Springwood". The article talked about a legend that began after a series of brutal murders befell a large number of the youths of Springwood. The legend centered on the belief, as described by many of the victims prior to their deaths, that the youths had been killed by a the spirit of Freddy Krueger, a child murderer that had been burned alive in the town years before this article of was released. Each of the victims claimed that upon falling asleep in their beds they immediately found themselves trapped in a nightmare where Freddy appeared before them in the form of their worst fears. They claimed he knew what each of their worst phobias was upon entering their dreams and used them to kill them within their own nightmares. It was rumored that the last victim Freddy tried to kill turned the table on him by bringing him into the real world, trapping him inside an old abandoned house on Elm street where he used to live before the child murders, then blowing him up with a bomb that the victim planted in the house before going to sleep. The blast killed the victim but Freddy's body was never recovered. Some claimed that the teen was the one responsible for the killing and that he planned his death in the explosion after his killing spree was complete. However, they did find one item that each of the other surviving teens claimed belonged to Freddy: a dark, battered fedora hat. The hat was taken to into police evidence where it remained for 30 years.

Even Jonathan knew this story was very likely a hoax but after all of the crazy events that he had witnessed in Gotham he had decided it was worth checking into because if there really was a power that would allow him to manipulate people from within their dreams without the threat of the Batman coming after him, this was way too good an opportunity to pass up.

After Jonathan's release from Arkham he boarded the first flight to Springwood, Ohio with the intent on recovering Freddy's hat from the police. This was probably the easiest job he had ever done; not because the cops were so easy to control with the fear gas but because Batman was miles away and had no idea of his crime.

Upon returning to Gotham, Jonathan began studying the hat with complete concentration. He hoped to find a DNA sample on the hat that seemed out of the ordinary. He found just that: the DNA remnants looked nothing like human DNA, they seemed supernatural, otherworldly, like the stuff dreams where made of. After this discover, Jonathan cut off a piece of the hat used the DNA to create what he hoped to be his "Ultimate Fear Toxin". However, Jonathan wasn't planning on using this toxin like the other: he knew that the only way he would be able to harness the power he so desperately wanted he would have to put the toxin into his own body.

-Scarecrow brought the vile in front of his face and studied it for a few moments. "If this works I won't just be able to take Gotham but the whole world as well", he said with a devious smile, "The first thing I think I'll do is pay Batman a little surprise visit and find out what skeletons he's hiding in his closet. Then I might even break out a few of my fellow outcasts from Arkham. I'm sure they would all love a chance at taking this whole, miserable world by the throat".

-Scarecrow paused for a moment to consider that last thought, tapping his index finger on his chin with one eyebrow cocked in the air. "Nah!" he said throwing his arm out in front of him, "Why should the God of Nightmares concern himself with such poor excesses for super criminals? If they wanted world domination so badly they would have taken their work a little more seriously instead of constantly letting the Bat interfere with their dreams".

-Scarecrow turned his attention back to his fear potion. "But, you've interfered with my dreams for the last time Batman. Now it's my turn to interfere with yours".

-With a sinister chuckle, Scarecrow gulped down the toxin. The entire concoction went down his throat in one swig. He then turned his head and spit, as the toxin left a most unpleasant taste in his mouth. "Blah! This Freddy character even tastes like nightmares" he said. He then closed his eyes and began to wait for the toxin to take effect, expecting to transform into a supernatural entity, like "Jyklle and Hyde", or at the very least feel a significant increase in power surge through his body and mind. After a full minute neither of these things happened.

-Scarecrow opened his eyes. Nothing had changed. He looked over his body searching for even the slightest effect from the toxin. He found none.

-"I don't understand," said Scarecrow with a clear tone of disappointment, "What did I do wrong?"

-He walked over to his work area where the hat stood alongside a microscope and several ingredients for his toxins. "The DNA on the hat clearly wasn't human! And drinking the chemical should have at least had some sort of bad side effect. Otherwise I just created something with absolutely no value at all!"

-Horrifying thoughts played through Scarecrow's head. What would his family in Arkham think if they saw him now? He could just picture them all laughing at him. "_Some God of Nightmares, freak!"_

"_Hey Johnny, if we ever need someone for Batman to beat up while we escape you'll be the first one we call!"_

"_Do something scary Johnny! Oh, that's right, you can't!"_

"_You couldn't even scare a crow from a bread crumb. You don't deserve the name 'Scarecrow'!" _

-The thoughts played through the Scarecrow's mind like a never ending merry go round. The torments, the humiliation, the shame all built up inside of him until he erupted into a violent rage. Growling through his teeth Scarecrow knocked everything in his work area onto the floor with one violent swing from his right arm. Glass and acid and fumes smashed down on the floor and sizzled loudly from being exposed to the air. Freddy's hat, which landed in the center of a giant pool of acid, melted away on the floor.

-Scarecrow removed his mask and sat down at his desk. He placed his hands over his head and grabbed handfuls of his orange hair. "_Where did I go wrong_?" he thought to himself.

-After a few moments in deep thought Jonathan came to a sudden realization: what if the toxin doesn't take effect until the person is asleep. Of coarse, it all made since now! In order for him to control people's nightmares Jonathan had to be inside of the dream world.

-Wasting no Time Jonathan went to his medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of **NyQuil**. He removed the cap and drank the entire bottle in 3 long swigs. The taste was extremely unpleasant but nowhere near as unpleasant as that toxin made from a DNA of someone who had been dead for over 3 decades.

-After washing out the taste Jonathan made his way to his bed. However, when he opened the door it didn't lead his bedroom. It lead somewhere that still haunted Jonathan's nightmares: the old abandoned church where he developed his fear of bats. Every detail of that horrible place was exactly the way it was in his youth: dark, decrepit, the all the windows were shattered, all of the interior was covered in dust, the floor boards creaked with every step he took, and when he took a step back an entire horde of bats came flying at him from the ceiling. The bats surrounded Jonathan and continued to claw and bite at him no matter how hard he fought back. Screaming and disoriented, Jonathan saw the doorway to the church was wide open this time and he made a quick dash out of the church. The bats flew out along with him and flew off shrieking into the sky.

-After regaining his bearings Jonathan opened his eyes and saw that he wasn't even at his hideout anymore. He was standing in the courtyard of the old church. "How can this be?" he said to himself.

-Jonathan rose to his feet and dusted himself off while gazing in dis-belief of his surroundings. Suddenly he heard laughter close by. This laugh was one that Jonathan recognized but one he never thought he would hear again. He turned to his left and standing in front of him was Bo Griggs, a bully that Jonathan had paralyzed his senior year of high school after he and his girlfriend played a prank on him while leading him to believe his girlfriend, whom Jonathan had developed a crush on, had strong feelings for him.

-"You!" Jonathan angrily shouted at the tall, muscular athlete that stood before him not even realizing he was no longer paralyzed. "Well, if isn't old Ichabod Crane" Bo said with an evil smirk.

-Suddenly it hit Jonathan: he was in the dream world. How else could he have ended up at this God-forsaken place with the boy he had destroyed years ago standing in front of him fully healed? Jonathan laughed. "You seriously think that stupid insult is going to work on me now? Stupid boy!"

-The expression on Bo's face reverted to anger. "What did you just say to me, Scarecrow?" He said with a threating tone.

-"You're even stupider than I thought if you think I'm going to take offense to that", Jonathan said with complete confidence, "I _am_ the Scarecrow! The God of Nightmares! The Master of Fear..." Jonathan paused for a moment thinking of how he got his revenge on Bo in the real world. With an evil grin he continued "…and as far as I'm concerned _you_ are Ichabod Crane and I am the Headless Horseman."

-Bo grabbed Jonathan by coat and lifted him into the air. "And what makes you think that, freak?" He asked with a furious look on his face.

-Grinning at Bo, Jonathan explained, "Because I was the one who had the last laugh. Remember, when I attacked you dressed as a monster and made you run for your life? I even managed to kill your slut of a girlfriend and broke you forever."

-Bo paused for a moment then he began to laugh manically. "You have finally lost it haven't you, freak?" he said as he threw Jonathan to the ground where he landed in front of a mirror leaning against the wall of the church. When he looked his Jonathan saw that he was back in his shrimpy, lanky teenage body. Jonathan was shocked and he backed away from the mirror. But he soon realized that this was only a dream and that Bo couldn't actually hurt him.

-"_Oh my! Do ya need a hand John_?" said an unseen voice that came from a very soft-spoken woman. Jonathan looked up and saw the silhouette of the woman standing over him. Remembering that this was all a dream Jonathan declined: "No that's quite alright".

-"_Oh okay…" _said the soft voice. Then suddenly the woman's voice turned loud and mocking: "…_then how about a fist!"_ it said as the woman struck Jonathan in the face and sent him flying to the ground. The strike actually hurt Jonathan and when he touched his face he noticed he had a bloody nose. He soon realized the dreams _could _harm him after all!

-The silhouetted woman stepped into view and reviled herself as the rotting corpse of Bo's girlfriend. Her face was covered in glass shards, her neck was broken and tiled involuntarily about her shoulders, and her clothes her ripped, and tattered, and covered in blood and her skin was purple grey.

-"High Johnny Cake!" the living dead girl shouted to him in a demonic voice, "What's the matter? The 'God of Nightmares' can't even handle poor, defenseless dame who's already dead?"

-Jonathan suddenly heard cruel laughter coming from all directions and when he turned around he saw everyone who had tormented him in the past standing around him laughing at him. They all began taunting and shouting at him:

"_Some God of Nightmares, freak!"_

"_Do something scary Johnny! Oh, that's right, you can't!"_

"_Why don't you see if the Wizard of Oz can give you a brain, and some muscle Scarecrow"?_

"_You couldn't even scare a crow from a bread crumb. You don't deserve the name 'Scarecrow'!" _

-In the ensuing chaos all of Jonathan's tormentors began pelting him with rocks, something they commonly did to him in his youth. Each rock that hit him left scars on bruises all over his body. Jonathan began to run. He sprinted as fast as his scrawny legs would carry him into a cornfield beside the church. He could he his tormentors running into the field after him.

-After a short time of running Jonathan became exhausted. He could still hear his tormentors running through the cornfield but they weren't heading in his direction.

-Jonathan stopped to rest by a scarecrow in the field. He put his hand on it so he could regain is composure. When he looked up at the scarecrow it wasn't like any scarecrow he'd ever seen in his life: It wore a red and green sweater, a dirty brown fedora hat (much like the one Jonathan has acquired in the real world), and, strangest of all, instead of a scythe it had a glove on its right hand with 4 long knives extending from the fingers like some sort of homemade claw.

-As Jonathan stared at the scarecrow he heard the footsteps of his enemies closing in on him. He knew it would be a matter of time before the found him. Jonathan grabbed the glove from the scarecrow and ducked back into the field out of view. When Bo and the rest of his tormentors made it to the scarecrow Jonathan waited inside the corn for the right moment to strike.

-When Bo walked right in front of where he was standing Jonathan leapt from his hiding place and slashed Bo across the chest. Bo spun around with 4 deep slashes in his chest before falling to the ground dead. Some of the others tried to attack Jonathan but he fended them off with a technique he developed in his youth called "violent dancing". With a series of dance moves combined with Kung Fu fighting moves using the glove as his weapon, Jonathan slaughtered dozens of his attackers leaving their shredded bodies lying on the ground in front of the scarecrow. The few remaining tormentors ran screaming into the cornfield leaving Jonathan and his slain enemies alone by the scarecrow.

-"_Johnny" _Called an ominous voice in the distance, "_Johnny"._

-Jonathan was startled by the voice and began turning in every direction to find where the voice was coming from. "Whose there?" He demanded, "Show yourself!".

-_"Turn around" _the voice insisted. Jonathan spun around but all that behind him was the scarecrow.

-"_Hello Johnny. We meet at last", _said the voice.

-Jonathan started to back away from the scarecrow. "W-W-Who are you?"

-"_Hehehehehehehe….You know who I am" _ the scarecrow said, but had no mouth and made no movement what so ever.

-Jonathan _did_ know who it was, but he still could not comprehend it. "F-F-Freddy Krueger?", he asked puzzaled

-The voice let out a sinister laugh that sent chills down Jonathan's spice. "_So, the Scarecrow has a brain after all"_

-Jonathan couldn't believe it. "So the legend was true. You_ are_ real!"

-_"Right again Johnny", _Freddy answered, "_and I also know you're trying to take up my mantle"_. The sky grew dark as grey clouds blocked out the light from the sun in the field. Lightening began striking from the heavens igniting the field in a blaze. _"You're trying to steal my thunder!_

_-_Jonathan was terrified. He tried to run but the field was nearly fully engulfed in flames. "NO! I swear! I meant you no harm-", Jonathan was cut off by a bolt of lightening that struck one of the corpses on the ground causing it to explode in a loud flash of light causing Jonathan to fall on his back and spending small flames flying through the air where they landed on the remaining bodies, lighting them up in flames as well. Jonathan frantically tried to beg "Please, don't kill me! I swear I'll never even think of stealing you're legacy again! In fact, I'll even give up my obsession with fear, I'll never try and spread it again!"

-The lightening ceased. _"Aw, now that's too bad Johnny. Because I actually think that glove looks good on you." _

-Jonathan opened his eyes and looked at the scarecrow, confused. A final bolt of lightening came down and struck scarecrow and it exploded in a flash of fire. _"Who better to continue my legacy than the Master of Fear in the waking world" _Freddy said, only now that the scarecrow was gone there was no telling where his voice was coming from. As the voice continued to speak Jonathan looked around to see if he could find where Freddy was. _"You didn't have to go through all the trouble to gain my power. If you really wanted me so bad…..all you had to do was say 'please'._

-Suddenly, Jonathan felt a searing pain inside of his stomach. "_But since you already have me inside of you. I think I'll just take your body instead. Thanks for opening the gate for me Johnny boy". _Jonathan threw his head back and let out an agonizing cry of pain. Fire erupted from his mouth and eyes. Soon Jonathan's entire body was engulfed in flames, which incinerated his skin leaving only a skeleton. The skeleton, still surrounded in fire, stood up right at the fire took shape around the bones and soon molded into Freddy's body. The fire then took on the solid figure of body. The re-awakening was complete, Freddy was alive and ready to kill again!

-Freddy transformed his surroundings into his preferred setting: his infamous boiler room. "Now, let's see what's on the menu" he said as he turned to one of the walls. He pointed the index finger of his glove at the way causing it to split open revealing a sort of television screen that told Freddy where he was and who he had to choose from. When he saw the city he was in and the kinds of people that resided in the city, Freddy threw his head back and let out a loud, sinister cackle that echoed through the boiler room. "Look out Gotham, there's a new freak in town" Freddy said with an evil grin on his face, "But soon, there's going to be only one".


	2. Chapter 2

_Nightmare in Arkham_

_Chapter Two: Uncovering the Ashes_

Jonathan Crane's hideout, or at least what little was left of it, was crawling with fire fighters and GCPD officers. Commissioner Gordon arrived on the scene with Harvey Bullock about 30 minutes after the fire squad and by the time they got there, what used to be an old abandoned warehouse was nothing but a heaping pile of charcoal and ash. There was still a cloud of smoke rising from the smoldering ashes on the ground as well as a few small pieces of wood that still had bits of flame burning on them. A few of the fire fighters were still spraying the pile of black soot with the fire hoses to make sure the fire did not start back up again.

-"I never did like that place", Bullock said as they parked their car,"It's been sittin there for God knows how long given the scum of this city a place to hide from us".

-As they exited their vehicle Gordon kept his eyes focused on the scene. "I just hope nobody was hiding in there in the past hour" he said with a concerned look in his eyes.

-Gordon and Bullock began approaching the scene. "_Commissioner!" _called a female voice a few feet away.

-Gordon turned to see Officer Montoya jogging toward him. "Montoya, what have we got here?" asked Gordon as the Spanish descendent officer reached him.

-"From the look of it, we either have a lab accident or arson", Montoya replied.

-"A lab accident?" Gordon asked confused.

-"Yes sir" answered Montoya, "It seems the Scarecrow was the latest creep to set up shop here. From what we've gathered it looks like he was experimenting with some kind of acidic chemical and, in the process caused, a fire to breakout".

-Gordon turned toward the burned down warehouse. "Any leads on him?" he asked, "Does anyone know where he ran off to?"

-"_He's right here", _said a deep, gruff voice from behind them.

-The three officers turned around and were face to face with a tall, dark figure with blank, white eyes, pointy ears covered by a black cowl that exposed only the figures square lower jaw, a black cape, and a yellow symbol on the chest with a black symbol of a bat. It was none other than Gotham's very own Dark Knight: Batman.

-Batman held up a plastic bag that contained what appeared to a large heap of black dust.

-"Batman" Gordon said startled, "How long have you been here?" Batman was a pro at disappearing and reappearing out of thin air. No one was more aware of this than Gordon. Batman had even appeared in his office seemingly out of nowhere since the day they first met. By now Gordon had grown used to it but every so often Batman's sudden appearances would still startle him.

-"I was the first one on the scene" Batman replied.

-"Oh is that a fact" Bullock chimed in with a suspicious tone, "Then you care explain how this place wound up lookin like an ashtray?" Bullock really couldn't have cared less about the building but he'd look for any excuse to rouse suspicion against Batman. He didn't trust Batman and was never too keen with Gordon's choice of letting a costumed freak run the city.

-"Bullock!" Gordon interrupted knowing exactly where this was heading, "Why don't you go assist Montoya on the scene? Call me if you find anything worth checking out".

-"Yes sir" Montoya replied and walked away. Bullock followed, grumbling to himself out of frustration. Gordon turned his attention back to Batman

-"You said you knew where Scarecrow was?" Gordon asked Batman. Batman handed the black bag to Gordon who looked at it confused.

-"What is this? What does this even-" Gordon's eyes caught sight of something sticking out of the ashes. When his eyes adjusted he saw that the ash contained a charred bone fragment. Gordon's eyes widened.

-"Good Lord!" Gordon exclaimed. He looked back up at Batman. "What happened to him? His entire body's been disintegrated."

-"I can't say for sure. All I know is that whatever caused this, Scarecrow was at the base of it."

-"Do you think it was a lab explosion?" Gordon asked

-"Not an explosion" Batman replied "I actually saw the fire breakout from that roof top" Batman said pointing to a large building about half mile away. "A lab accident was my first thought. I did find evidence that Scarecrow was working with some chemicals prior to the breakout but I found his body inside of his bathroom".

-"What kind of evidence?" Gordon asked.

-Batman reached for something on his utility belt and took out a small vile containing a dark-red fluid. He handed the vile to Gordon.

-"What the heck is this stuff?" Gordon asked looking at the vile with an eyebrow raised.

-"I don't know" Batman replied "There was a giant puddle of it on the ground right next to Scarecrow's desk. There was also a bunch of broken glass and lab equipment lying next to it" Batman explained. "Off hand, I'd say he was working on some new kind of fear toxin".

-"So maybe he had an accident at his work place that set him on fire while working with this stuff then he tried to run to the restroom to douse himself with water but collapsed before he had the chance and the fire spread to the rest of the building?" Gordon asked.

-"That does seem probable" Batman answered "but we won't know for sure until we find out what exactly this stuff is".

-"Right" said Gordon as he stared at the questionable substance Batman had just handed him, "I'll have forensics take a look at this. It shouldn't take long for them to get some results. In the mean time-" Gordon looked back up to face Batman, but Batman was no where to be seen. Gordon knew he would do this; he just didn't know how long it would be before he did it. Gordon sighed. Bullock came walking up to him.

-"Hey Comish, we still haven't found anything in the wreckage. Ole Scare-Creep musta made a run for it cause we ain't found no body-"

-Bullock was interrupted when Gordon held up the plastic bag with Scarecrows cremated body. The bone was still sticking out. Bullock adjusted his eyes and realized what he was looking at. His eyes widened.

-"Oh man! He messed himself up real good".

-"As strange as this sounds I hope you're right". Gordon replied

-"What do ya mean, Comish?" Bullock asked confused.

-"I mean, I hope Scarecrow _did_ do this himself because if this wasn't an accident, then we just might have ourselves a homicidal maniac in town. And if this is what he's capable of.." Gordon looked at the plastic bag "….I don't even want to think about what he'll do next".

-Back at the Batcave Batman had been working non-stop. He had given the chemical sample he found at the crime scene to Gordon but kept a smaller sample to study. For nearly 4 hours straight he had been starring at the chemical through a microscope while researching what sort of compound the toxin was made of. Batman had never seen anything like it before: while most of Scarecrow's previous toxins normally carried some sort neurological stimulant (such as the ones commonly found in LSD), which allowed the toxin to raise a person's anxiety and trick their mind's into thinking they are being attacked by their worst fear, this toxin didn't seem to carry any sort of mind altering factor.

-A little after midnight Alfred, the Butler, strolled into the Batcave carrying a thermos of hot coffee. Alfred would have suggested Batman put his work aside and get a good night sleep. But if there's one thing Alfred learned from his many years as Batman's faithful assistant it's that Batman never slept while the moon was out. How he managed to pull off playing a billionaire playboy by day and a masked crime fighter at night without ever feeling the need for sleep Alfred swore he would never know.

-"My, my Master Bruce. I know many big things have been known to keep you working long hours through the night but never anything that's so small you'd have to stare at it for 4 hours straight through a microscope", Alfred exclaimed.

-Every time Alfred would enter the Batcave and find his employer hard at work he would always greet him with some sort of joke or witty comment. He knew Batman was never one to laugh but he did this because he knew Batman faced so much drama and hardship in his line of duty and he believed that if Batman heard at least one remark that was even remotely humorous, or even just flat out corny, once in a while it would ease a little bit of the stress racing through his mind. Even though Batman never laughed at Alfred's remarks he knew what he was trying to do. And the truth is Alfred did help Batman take his mind off the chaos he endured on a nightly basis. It was only a second or 2 of ease but that was a lot time for someone in Batman's profession. However, this time Batman's mind was buried way too deep in his work for Alfred's attempt to humor him.

-"This '_small'_ thing may have just killed someone" Batman replied without looking up from the microscope.

-"Good heavens", Alfred said while placing the thermos on the counter next to Batman "Who might the poor, unfortunate soul be?"

-"Jonathan Crane", Batman answered, "He was completely cremated in his own hideout earlier tonight".

-"Jonathan Crane? Jonathan Crane?", Alfred pondered to himself with his thumb on his chin. It didn't take long before he realized whom Batman was referring to. His eyes widened. "My word! You mean the Scarecrow? The only villain you've ever faced, besides the Joker, to tamper with your mind? That Jonathan Crane?"

-"The same" Batman replied.

-Alfred didn't know what to think of this news. Scarecrow was one of the most dangerous criminals to ever strike in Gotham and on more than one occasion he even managed to leave his Master Bruce with a bit of a scare. He even nearly got him thrown into Arkham at one point. But at the same time if there was anything Alfred knew that Batman believed in above anything else it was that all lives were worth fighting to save, even the lives of his enemies.

-"Well, Master Bruce", Alfred began to say taking care not to sound like he was glad that one of the most notorious of Gotham's fiends had been pertinently removed from the picture, "that is tragic, as is any death, but I do suppose this will make your work a little easier with one less fiend to worry about".

-Batman looked up from his microscope.

-"Maybe", Batman replied, "But my goal isn't just to save Gotham from these crazed madmen; I'm also trying to save the crazed madmen from themselves. If I took pride in Scarecrow's death, as I'm sure he would have done with mine, I'd be the same masked criminal that he was".

-"Very noble thinking, sir", Alfred remarked.

-Batman returned his gaze back to his microscope. "Now I just need to find out what exactly Scarecrow was working on at the time of his death before someone else suffers his fate".

-Alfred raised and eyebrow in confusion. "Whatever do you mean?"

-"When I saw Scarecrow's hideout start to go up in flames I busted in to make sure no one was inside. I found Scarecrow's body in the bathroom already burned down to the bone. I managed to put him out but when I did his skeleton disintegrated into dust. I knew that if the building came down on top of his ashes it would be nearly impossible for the forensics to locate the body in the debris from the building. So I scooped up as much of his body as I could in a container and headed out. But before I had a chance I noticed a giant puddle of chemicals lying on the ground next to what I suppose was his work area. The flames hadn't spread into that room yet so took a few quick samples before the place became fully engulfed".

-Batman took a bag from the far end of the counter of his workspace and set it next to Alfred.

-"I kept some of Scarecrow's body has well to do some forensic investigating of my own and, while I haven't had much success with figuring out what exactly this chemical is, I have discovered this: Scarecrow's body carried traces of it inside prior to his death".

-"You mean, he _consumed _this un-natural looking filth", Alfred asked picking up the vile containing the chemical.

-"That's exactly what it looks like", Batman replied.

-Alfred took another look at the dark, blood red liquid he held in his hand and placed it back on the table, turning his head in disgust.

-"Maybe Scarecrow was preparing some sort of potion, like _Jyklle and Hyde" _Alfred suggested_._

-"That would answer the question as to why he used it on himself and not a bank guard" Batman replied "But that still leaves 2 questions: What was he trying to gain from this 'potion' and what, exactly, was in it?"

-Batman moved aside and motioned for Alfred to have a look. Alfred complied and took a look in the microscope. Through the microscope, the sample appeared as a series of bright red scraggily lines that looked like veins working around giant splotches of dark red craters. It sort of looked like a mass of horribly burned flesh.

-"My word!" Alfred exclaimed, "What on earth is this?"

-"That's the problem: I don't know", Batman replied, "But believe it or not whatever this is, it looks like it might be DNA".

-Alfred turned his gaze from the microscope to Batman. "You mean this came from a living being?"

-"Exactly", Batman answered, "But this DNA doesn't appear to be human or animal; it doesn't even look like it resembles anything found on earth. Not even the Bat-Computer was able to identify it. And I haven't found any flammable or combustible ingredients in this sample either, just this DNA. Which means Scarecrow didn't burst into flames simply by drinking this. Something else had to play a role as well".

-Alfred took the thermos and poured a cup of coffee.

-"Well, Master Bruce, perhaps a cup of caffeine will help your mind concentrate better. You may be a creature of the night but even nocturnal creatures sometimes need something to keep their minds awake".

-Batman took a sip from his cup.

-"Thank you, Alfred", Batman replied, "That just might be what I need". He took another sip.

-"Glad to be of assistance" Alfred replied. Alfred then let out a yawn.

-"If you don't mind, sir, not everyone here is fit for the night life. I should probably being going off to bed now. If you require anymore assistance-"

-"That's okay", Batman interrupted, "I think you've provided me with all the help I'll need. Go catch some shut-eye, Alfred. I'll see you in the morning."

-Alfred smiled at Batman. "Very good, Master Bruce. Goodnight".

-"Goodnight Alfred", Batman replied.

-Alfred climbed into the elevator in the center of the cave and head back up to Wayne Manor for some sleep. When Alfred was upstairs Batman turned his gaze to the small sample of Scarecrow's body.

-"I don't know what you were planning. I don't know how this happened. But despite everything you've put me and the citizens of Gotham through I just hope that you'll be able to find peace. Goodbye Jonathan", Batman stated with a touch of sadness.

-Batman had hoped none of his enemies would end their criminal lives this way. But now all Batman could do was uncover the ashes of what happened on this night and hopefully prevent them from ever happening again.

-Batman grabbed the thermos and with just a few gulps downed the whole thing. He then continued his work.


End file.
